Best GPU for Starfield 2023 from AMD and Nvidia

We’re covering some thoughts for the best GPU for Starfield for anyone who’s decided to finally upgrade their PC.

Ensuring you meet the Starfield system requirements is one thing, but the best experience with Starfield involves a good GPU and some optimizations for the best graphics settings. This guide will provide a helpful ballpark for those looking to play with a high FPS and high settings. Don’t forget you might also want the best CPU for Starfield combined with tweaking your settings to fix any low FPS and stuttering issues.

Best GPU for Starfield at a glance

ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition

Base Clock

2235MHz

Boost Clock

2610MHz

VRAM

24GB GDDR6X

Dimensions

357.6 x 149.3 x 70.1mm

Recommended PSU

1000W

How We Review

Shop on Amazon Check Price

Newegg

Check price

Check price

MSI Gaming Radeon RX 7600 Mech 2X Classic OC

Base clock

2280MHz

Boost clock

2695MHz

VRAM

8GB GDDR6

Dimensions

235 x 125 x 47mm

Recommended PSU

550W

How We Review

Shop on Amazon Check Price

Check price

Check price

ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070

Base Clock

1,920MHz

Boost Clock

2,475MHz

VRAM

12GB GDDR6X

Dimensions

267 x 134 x 51mm

Recommended PSU

550W

How We Review

Shop on Amazon Check Price

Check price

So we’re clear, an AMD Radeon RX 5700 or Nvidia GeForce RTX 1070 Ti are the minimum GPU requirements for Starfield. These cards both have 8GB of VRAM and support DirectX version 12, so anything later than these cards should have no problem running the game. We’re also drawing your attention to AMD’s newly released RX 7800 XT – which is great for gaming in 1440p and optimised for Starfield, thanks to AMD’s partnership with Bethesda Studios.

Best GPU for Starfield for Ultra settings

ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition

Base Clock

2235MHz

Boost Clock

2610MHz

VRAM

24GB GDDR6X

Dimensions

357.6 x 149.3 x 70.1mm

Recommended PSU

1000W

How We Review

Shop on Amazon Check Price

Pros

• Lower temperature than Founder’s Edition
• Dual Bios
• Higher overclock performance than Founder’s Edition

Cons

• Quiet mode isn’t that noticable
• Very high end price
• Huge recommended PSU

For those looking to go all out at the best GPU for ultra settings on Starfield, go for the ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4090 OC graphics card. Expect to be playing in 4K with ray tracing enabled, all while getting a high FPS. We’re not sure exactly what minimum GPU you need for 60 FPS on Starfield, but if any card can do it, it’s the 4090. It’s undoubtedly one of the best 4090 GPUs on the market, though it’s also the heaviest.

You’ll need to vertically mount this card if you want to see the front design, which is a little annoying. However, the advantage of the ASUS ROG Strix OC over other 4090 cards is the abundance of three DisplayPorts and two HDMI connections which is more than most other cards.

Overall, this graphics card is the best premium option out there for Starfield for those wanting to enjoy the Starfield story with some of the best possible specs.

For something more affordable, the best budget GPU for Starfield is the RX 7600 Mech 2X. However, this card comes recommended as a safe option for those looking for a budget friendly PC build, mostly playing at 1080p. We’ve found that you can stretch this card to 1440p at Ultra settings, though expect this card to drop between 40-50 frame rates.

Going a little deeper into the card’s specs, the Mech RX 7600 is great for smaller PC builds thanks to its 2x cooling fan solution. It’s also overclocked which helps with performance, delivering a great all round graphics card. You may want to consider the best controller for Starfield too if you don’t fancy playing on keyboard and mouse.

In this section, we’re also recommending the RX 7700 XT. WePC’s goes into some depth in their hands on RX 7700 XT review. However, our top recommendation has to go to the card that costs only $50 more. Definitely check out where to buy the RX 7800 XT if you want a combination of value and performance. After that, you’ll be all set to enjoy the best Starfield ship designs and all that good stuff.

Best mid-range GPU for Starfield

ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070

Base Clock

1,920MHz

Boost Clock

2,475MHz

VRAM

12GB GDDR6X

Dimensions

267 x 134 x 51mm

Recommended PSU

550W

How We Review

Shop on Amazon Check Price

Pros

• Great all-round performance
• Most affordable 4070 from ASUS
• Excellent ray tracing

Cons

• VRAM could be higher

The Nvidia RTX 4070 is one of the best GPUs for Starfield in 1440p. As part of Nvidia’s lauded 40-series, this is one of the best GPUs for ray tracing and DLSS 3. Though the game is better optimised towards FSR, there’s a huge catalogue of games with DLSS 3 support, and the RTX 4070 will excel.

Expect a quietly running GPU with a decent 12GB VRAM. Of course, the more VRAM the better, though 12GB is enough for the 4070 and Starfield. Overall, the 4070 GPU makes a good in-between card from the premium 4090 option and the RX 7600 budget option. If you don’t feel like you’ve found the right graphics card, you may want to check out the best PCs for Starfield for more ideas.

Could the RX 7900 XT be enough for 60 FPS for Starfield?

It depends on what resolution you want to play at, and we can’t say for sure until we get benchmarks for the game. However, if you’re playing at 1080p, there’s a decent chance you’ll get 60 FPS with the RX 7900 XT. Time will tell.

What is a good graphics card for Starfield?

While the best graphics cards for Starfield are generally current gen graphics cards, which include the Nvidia RTX 4060 and AMD RX 7900 XTX cards. However, a good graphics card for Starfield ranges from the RX 6800 XT or equivalent, to the RTX 3090 or equivalent.